| Humor's Value |
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The value of humor has been confirmed to the point that many hospitals and ambulatory care centers now have incorporated special rooms where materials - and sometimes people - are there to help make people laugh. Materials include movies, audio and videotapes, books, games, and puzzles for patients of every age. Movies and TV shows by popular comedians from Laurel and Hardy to Bob Hope and Bob Newhart, humorous songs, the joke of the day on the Internet, the one paragraph jokes and funny stories from the Readers' Digest, all have value in helping patients who would otherwise have little to laugh about. A hospital in North Carolina created a "laughmobile" that visits bedridden patients. Many hospitals throughout the nation now use volunteer groups who visit patients with carts full of humor devices, including slapstick items such as water pistols and rubber chickens. They visit patients who are fighting cancer and other serious illnesses, providing an oasis of laughter during an otherwise difficult time. With all of the various objects and techniques, the goal is similar and simple: make patients laugh and help them put aside their fears, their concerns about health, and their discomforts. Laughter has been important in treating the sick and injured for many years. In the 13th century, surgeons used humor and laughter to distract patients from the pain of surgery. They were using humor as an anesthetic. Evidence from early 20th century medical literature indicates that laughter and humor were serious subjects, considered to have vital benefits in medicine. The physical effects of laughter on the body include increased breathing and heart rates as well as increased oxygen use. Laugh more, use more oxygen, stimulate the circulatory system. Laughter also exercises the same muscles and organs we use for breathing, which is another positive benefit. As mentioned, it is also believed that laughter releases endorphins, or special neurotransmitter substances in the brain, which help control pain. These effects are physiological. There are observable changes in the body. As might be expected, there are also psychological benefits to humor therapy. What better way to break the ice and let patients discuss feelings about their illness? Just as they work well in social settings generally, humor and laughter promote relaxation and the more pleasurable aspects of life for patients as well. |
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